Wire-drawing tension device



March 1952 w. s. HENDERSON WIRE-DRAWING TENSION DEVICE Filed May 25,1949 IIIIIIIA L, Wm,

Patented Mar. 11, 1952 Application May 25, 1949, Serial No. 95,181 InGreat Britain May 22, 1948 4 Claims. (01. 205-14) This invention relatesto a wire-drawing bench devised to ensure constancy of pull on the wireand thus to permit the wire to be drawn to any desired degree withoutliability to breakage or excessive strain.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying semi-diagrammatic drawing in which I denotes wire beingdrawn, and 2 denotes a wire drawing die. 3 denotes a drum carried by ashaft 4, the wire I being wound several times around the drum 3 beforepassing to a floating jockey pulley 5 carried at one end of a rod 6guided to move axially through bushes I. 8 denotes tensioning weightsattached to the other end of the rod 6. 9 denotes a guide pulleyprovided to re-direct the wire to move in a direction co-axial with thewire at the die '2. I denotes a second die. II denotes a gear box of theswinging lever type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,911,156, which boxis adapted to provide an infinite range of gear ratios between themaximum and the minimum limits for which the gear box is constructed. I2denotes the driving shaft of the gear box I l carrying a pulley I2connected by a belt I3 to a pulley I4 on the shaft 4. I denotes a pulleyfixed to the gear-controlling shaft l8, rotation of which shaft I6alters the gear ratio of the gear box I I. I! and I8 denote cableswrapping the pulley I5 in opposite directions, an end of each cablebeing anchored to the pulley I5 at I9. The cables I! and I8 areconducted around guide pulleys and 2|, respectively, and are passed inopposite directions around a pulley 22 freely rotatable on a pin 6 fixedto the rod 6. The other ends of the cables I8 and I! are anchored at 23and 24, respectively, to elements 25 and 26 of a turnbuckle device. 2'!denotes a hand-wheel for altering the position of the turnbuckle devicewith respect to the rod 6. 28 denotes a central nut for altering thespacing of the elements 25 and 26 of the turnbuckle device. 29 and 30denote shock absorbing springs in the cables I! and I8, respectively. 3|and 32 denote stops on the rod 6 to limit the travel of the rod 6.

In practice, the direction of drawing is from the die 2 to the die ID,the pull on the wire I to draw the wire through the die 2 being providedby the drum 3 which is rotated from the gear box II. Should the speedwith which the wire I is drawn through the die [0 depart from thedesired speed, the rod 6 will move axially, causing one or other of thecables I! and I8 to be pulled, thereby rotating the pulley l5 and thegear-controlling shaft IE to alter the gear ratio provided by the gearbox II to increase or reduce the speed of rotation of the drum 3 andincrease or reduce the speed with which the wire I is drawn through thedie 2.

The effect produced by the floating jockey pulley 5 is to regulate thespeed at which the wire is drawn through the die 2, thus preventingbreakages resulting from failure to maintain correct the relative speedsof the wire through the dies.

The initial tension in the cables I! and I8 may be adjusted by rotationof the nut 28. The floating position of the rod 6 may be adjusted byrotation of the handwheel 21 which alters the position of the turnbuckledevice with respect to the rod 6 and thus determines the initial angularposition of the pulley I 5 and the control shaft It.

What is claimed is:

1. A wire-drawing bench incorporating a rotatable drum around which isled the wire to be drawn, a jockey pulley embraced by the Wire andlocated relatively to said drum in dependence on the tension in thewire, a gear box providing a range of gear ratios and having an outputshaft operatively connected to said drum for effecting its rotation, agear-controlling shaft operatively associated with gears of said boxrotation of which varies the gear ratio of said gear box, a vertical rodcarried by the jockey pulley and weighted to move downwards, a freelyrotatable operating pulley mounted on said rod with its axis disposedtransversely of said rod, a control pulley fixed to the.gear-controlling shaft, two cables wrapping said operating pulley inopposite directions, one end of each of said cables being secured tosaid control pulley, an anchorage means to which the other end of eachof said cables is fixed, both cables being led in opposite directionsaround said control pulley, and means for varying the initial angularposition of said gear-controlling shaft.

2. A wire-drawing bench as claimed in claim 1, in which the anchorage isconstituted by a turnbuckle comprising relatively movable elements.

3. A wire-drawing bench as claimed in claim 1, in which the anchorage isaxially movable with respect to the vertical rod.

4. In a wire-drawing bench, the combination including a first die and asecond die through which the wire to be drawn passes, a rotatable drummounted between said dies and around which the wire being drawn is led,a jockey pulley carried on the wire being drawn between the drum and thesecond die, a gear box providing a range of gear ratios and having anoutput shaft carrying a pulley operatively connected to said drum foreffecting its rotation and the drawing of the wire through the firstdie, a vertical rod carried by the jockey pulley and mounted forvertical movement, said rod being weighted for downward movement of saidpulley, a freely rotatable operating pulley mounted on the said rod, agear controlling shaft having a control pulley thereon and operativelyassociated with the gears of said gear box rotation of which is adaptedto vary the gear ratios of said gear box and the speed of said outputshaft, a pair of cables each attached by one end to and extending aroundsaid control pulley in opposite directions, said cables also wrappingsaid operating pulley on said rod in opposite directions, and anchoragemeans to which the other end of each of said cables is fixed, verticalmovement of said rod being adapted to actuate said cables and rotatesaid control pulley to vary the speed of the output shaft.

' WILLIAM SAW'ERS HENDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,911,156 Laing May 23, 19332,104,656 Krejci Jan. 4, 1938 2,162,357 Pierce June 13, 1939 2,205,213Lessmann June 18, 1940 2,237,112 Parvin Apr. 1, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 645,231 Great Britain Oct. 25, 1950

